Can anyone advise me on the best doctor in UK for ablation?since my GP here informed me that experience play major factor

[Maitha]

Is it allowed to ask this question within the forum? Apologies if not

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Maitha

Well I am not sure if anyone can hand on heart tell you who the best is, there are a number of recommendations on the forum, and I am sure that Google will come up with some of the same names over and over again as they have published a lot of papers or carried out a lot of ablations. I have to say that if I personally needed an ablation, and I was searching for the best doctor (and had the money) I think I might search worldwide and not just in the UK.

What I would say is find a specialist, there are any number about what we tend to call on the forum EPs, they will have done probably tens or hundreds of ablations, the AFA have links to a register of EPs you can peruse not sure if there is any statistical information available to help you in this however

Best of luck

Ian

[Maitha]

Thanks bean

I will try to search through the net , but I prefer UK since not that far from my country comparing to USA and I'm familiar with living there

What other countries would be preferable?singapore for example !

It is possible to have ablation again and again that means a lot of travel , time ( in addition to recovery away from my home and family ) and more expenses in addition to my plane phobia

Appreciate others experience in this regard

In case others went through ablation ? Do anyone recommend it for me ?

Maitha

[Offcut]

My first 2 Ablations where with Dr Ng at Glenfield Hospital which was of only 3 hospitals that could do Ablations in the Midlands at that time. I am from Coventry and had my last one with Dr Osman (Coventry University Hospital) who was trained by Dr Ng on the procedures of Abalation. This was not a choice but pure coincidence. Each one of my ablations have been in different areas of my heart.

As a note back in the early 90's Ablations were showing a 80% Fail rate (as in they did not do what they were expected to)

[Terjo in reply to Offcut]

Did they work for you, Offcut? Terjo

[Offcut in reply to Terjo]

Well! Sort of the first was to my 4 pulmonary which was followed with a Cardio Version. It worked a time but went back into AF with a vengeance. The second was for the chamber which he did 38 burns and took 7.5 hours with another Cardio Version. Now that lasted a few years and I ended up in ICU for 32 days with Respority Failure and it was as good as it could be it was the rest of me that seemed to be failing I went into MOF. It was a couple of years after that I had a bad bout which did settle a bit. My last was because I was 126 BPM at rest for approx 6 montyhs, they changed me to satolol 80mg X3 breathing got so bad they dropped me to 2 a day. Which settled me down. my third was more a look see and do what they thought would help with the possibility of a pace but the tablets did to good a job. I did see me flatline which was a bit strange waiting for it to kick back in while they played around with my heart-rate. But I am going in and out of irregular heart rate for short periods about 15 times a day. I was diagnosed back in 1992 but had problems for some time before that and told not to worry about it I must add I am not good for doctors as I am allergic to Iodine and have a tolerance to Morphine and have woke up in theatre twice as anaesthetics do not seem to have a lasting effect on me. i also have lung problems. My plus side is I have been told I have a high pain threshold.

Be Well and keep smiling

[Terjo in reply to Offcut]

You've certainly been through the mill. I still don't know what to ask the doctor for. When I've got over an AF I feel ok apart from being whoozey at times,but when they happen I'd do anything to stop them as they make me feel so bad.

I'll post again when I've seen the dr in the morning. Terjo

[BobD Volunteer]

There is a list of EPs by area in UK on the main AFA website which is useful. Where are you in the world then Maitha?

As Ian says it is hard for anybody to say Doctor X is the best but experience does count.

BobD

[Maitha in reply to BobD]

I'm living far away in the Arabian gulf , Abu Dhabi exactly , and I'm really confused about where to have my ablation

Doctors are doing it here but it is new field and they don't have that big experience

I'm looking the nearest centers but really USA is very far for me considering that I may have to stay there for recovery and may go back again and again in case I need to repeat it

Maitha

[Offcut]

I really think I have got used to them to such an extent I let them though but the tiredness does not seem to go away

[Maitha in reply to Offcut]

You went through a lot really , I went although through two open heart surgeries in addition to another major one and few minor

Life is always full of those challenges

Hope we will manage to improve our quality of life as much as we can

God bless you

Maitha

[jeanjeannie50]

I know someone who went to a Dr J Gill in London. He had two ablations carried out by him and was cured. Been fine now for about 3 years.

[Maitha in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank a lot jean , I will search more about him

Regards

[MarkS]

I had Prof Richard Schilling at the London AF Centre who I thought was great. I had two discussions with him before. The ablation itself was quite long as he found some extra centres which were producing errant triggers. But after a month whilst my heart gradually quietened down I've been AFib free since (3.5 years now).

Mark

[Maitha in reply to MarkS]

Happy to hear a successful story Marks

What was actually your case? And how long you were suffering?

Is it the only ablation you had?

Actually I met Dr schilling two months ago and he prescribed Flecainade and I stayed in London for a month with no AF attacks and after I went back home in ABu DHabi I got scary flutter attack for three days ended by cardiversion

He advised me to get ablation since meds didn't work

I'm trying to avoid triggers these days and I hope I can manage without ablation since I noticed it is trial and not always successful in addition to high cost

He is actually the first doctor in my list right now

Thanks for your input

Maitha

[MarkS in reply to Maitha]

Hi Maitha,

I had AF for about 15 years. For a long time it was about 20-30% of the time but then it started increasing to 80%. As I was on the way to becoming permanent I decided to get it done then. Prof Schilling said you still have a much higher chance of success in ablation as long as you're still paroxysmal regardless of how long you're in AF.

Ablations are much less of a trial now. However I would be inclined to wait if I considered one now as there are new mapping techniques coming out which really enhance success rates.

It can be expensive but is free on the NHS or if you have insurance.

Mark

[Maitha in reply to MarkS]

Thanks Marks

I feel I'm having more AF attacks recently than before. Some are for few seconds Others lasted till cardiversion

Actually I'm living far away from UK even I'm British but I don't have health insurance .

I have been told that ablation estimation cost around 27,000 pound , where I should consider that I may need more than one ablation

I'm trying to get health insurance to help me afford it but still don't know how to do that

[bonnie54]

I cannot speak highly enough of Dr Tim Betts at the JRH oxford. I had my successful first ablation there in 2009 and was so happy I had private health insurance at that time so that he performed the ablation himself.

No drugs since the ablation, which is great as I was having horrid side effects from the sotalol and flecainide left me housebound. A few thumps and flutters now an then but on the hole I think of myself at 95% cured and definitely got my life back in 2009

Bonnie